Interplay of agenda setters in the digital age: The associative issue network between news organizations and political YouTube channels

Two emerging questions in the current digital media environment are how socio-political issues are systematically circulated across various media platforms, including mainstream news organizations and social media platforms, and which media -driven issue networks influence the perceived issue networks of the public. This study addresses these questions by conducting computer -assisted content analysis and an online panel survey in South Korea in 2023. The results of the Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) reveal that political issue networks reported by mainstream news organizations are positively associated with those circulated in YouTube channels. The results of Multiple Regression QAP (MRQAP) indicate that individuals are less likely to perceive issue networks that are emphasized by conservative YouTube channels than those of news media and liberal political YouTube channels.